India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is confirmed to feature in the upcoming Asia Cup T20 in the UAE next month, though he may be rested for the opening Test against the West Indies in October. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to finalise the squad on August 19 or 20, once the Sports Science team at the Centre of Excellence submits medical reports on all players, including skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who has resumed batting in Bengaluru.
The vice-captaincy race is shaping up between Shubman Gill and Axar Patel. Gill, in outstanding form after a prolific Test series against England and a solid IPL campaign, will challenge Axar, who was deputy during India’s recent home series against England. Gill previously served as vice-captain when Suryakumar first took charge of the T20 side in Sri Lanka last year.
India’s top order is stacked with in-form players including Abhishek Sharma, currently the world’s No. 1 T20 batter in ICC rankings, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya. With so many performers, finding space for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan may prove difficult. KL Rahul is also unlikely to feature in the T20 setup as he does not bat in the middle order.
For the wicketkeeping department, Samson is expected to be first choice, while the second slot will be contested between Jitesh Sharma, who impressed as a finisher in RCB’s title-winning IPL season, and Dhruv Jurel, who featured in India’s last T20 series. In the all-rounders’ category, Hardik Pandya leads the pack, while Nitish Kumar Reddy remains sidelined due to injury. Shivam Dube is likely to retain his place after a strong showing against England, alongside spin-bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have secured their places in the pace attack, leaving the third seamer’s spot to be decided between Prasidh Krishna, who took 25 wickets in the last IPL, and Harshit Rana, known for his raw pace and heavy deliveries. The spin department could see Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy rounding out the attack, ensuring a balanced squad for the continental tournament.
